Cleaning Workout

Like any other human being, I am not crazy about housework. How can one zealously vacuum with the knowledge that one will have to do it again? 

But I am not so quick to hire outside help. In the end, only I will be gentle with my bone china, tenderly polishing the silver, caressingly ironing the linen. I have heard one too many horror stories of cleaning women murdering beloved possessions. 

It is also a bonus in that doing housework increases longevity (think of the many years of Pesach cleaning ahead!). British domestic servants have, it seems, more zest and verve in their later years. Penelope Green used this premise by pairing a fitness instructor with a butler to get the best workout possible while dusting and wiping.

The article gets quite fun as both cleaning and exercise tips are shared. For instance, the butler in question avoids bleach (he says it destroys clothes) and ammonia. He says leave cobwebs by the main entranceway to nab mosquitoes. He says cleaning is mostly about touch, not chemical power. 

Although the fitness instructor said something about lunges which I am choosing to ignore.